The Trail Went Cold

Latest Episodes:

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 362 - Margaret Dash, Retha Hiers, and Donyelle Johnson Jan 17, 2024

Show notes

June 14, 1974. Clearwater, Florida. After borrowing her daughter’s car and leaving her home, 38-year old Margaret Dash never returns and the abandoned vehicle is discovered in St. Petersburg one month later. It turns out that Margaret had been involved in an extramarital affair with a man named Cleveland Hill, who supposedly threatened to kill her. Over the next 15 years, two other Florida women – 43-year old Retha Hiers and 21-year old Donyelle Johnson – also vanish without a trace after conducting an affair with Cleveland and there are allegations that he made threats against them as well. While there is suspicion that Cleveland was responsible for all of these disappearances, there is not enough evidence to implicate him and the three missing women are never found. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we cover a trio of unsolved missing persons cases which are linked together by the same man.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Margaret Dash, please contact the Clearwater Police Department at (727) 562-4242. If you have any information about the disappearances of Retha Hiers and Donyelle Johnson, please contact the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office at (727) 582-6200

Additional Reading:

https://charleyproject.org/case/margaret-r-dash

https://charleyproject.org/case/retha-lee-hiers

https://charleyproject.org/case/donyelle-chrishum-johnson

https://www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2022/08/16/where-are-3-missing-tampa-bay-women-the-answer-may-rest-with-the-devil/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/339481582

https://www.newspapers.com/image/339683584

https://www.newspapers.com/image/339674295

https://www.newspapers.com/image/870341879

https://www.newspapers.com/image/331032163

https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/largo-excavation-retha-hiers/67-c7c41e55-acd0-4f2e-afbd-37262055cf9c

“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.

“The Trail Went Cold” is going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon UK” in London on September 21-22, 2024. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD24”, by visiting their website.

The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 361 - Jack Brown Jan 10, 2024

Show notes

January 11, 1984. Ypsilanti, Michigan. Two armed men enter a real estate and insurance office before one of them fires a shot into the neck of the 47-year old owner, Jack Brown. The assailants then lock the office’s other employees inside the bathroom before fleeing the scene and Jack dies in the hospital several hours later. Prior to his death, Jack had hinted that he might be involved in something which led to him being murdered, but the two perpetrators are not identified and the motive for the crime remains unclear. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a baffling murder which resembled a professional hit and has remained unsolved for 40 years. In addition, we will also be discussing the unsolved murders of 54-year old Elizabeth Shumate, 60-year old Frances Ivey and 46-year old JoAnn Brown, a trio of real estate agents who were shot to death inside their office in Houston, Texas in August 1983.

Additional Reading:

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Jack_Brown

https://unsolved.com/gallery/jack-brown/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/99060743/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/99426108/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/99810146/

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/08/30/Priest-denied-access-to-crime-scene-for-last-rites/4372431064000/

https://www.click2houston.com/news/2019/05/29/questions-remain-in-1983-triple-homicide-police-ask-for-publics-help/

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/slideshow/Houston-s-infamous-crimes-in-August-194965.php

https://www.khou.com/article/news/investigations/missing-pieces/murders-of-3-realtors-still-unsolved-37-years-later/285-3d493018-69d6-447f-bb43-2fc49163dcd9

https://torontosun.com/news/world/crime-hunter-hurricane-and-homicide-a-deadly-cocktail

If you have any information about the murder of Jack Brown, please contact the Ypsilanti Police Department at (734) 483-9510. If you have any information on the murders of Elizabeth Shumate, Frances Ivey & JoAnn Brown please contact the Houston Police Cold Case Unit at (713) 308-3618 or the Crime Stoppers of Houston tip line at (713) 222-TIPS (8477).

“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.

The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 360 - Patrick Mullins Jan 03, 2024

Show notes

January 27, 2013. Bradenton, Florida. After taking his boat out onto the Braden River, 52-year old Patrick Mullins fails to return home and the abandoned boat is discovered several miles away in Egmont Channel the following day. Nine days after he vanished, Pat is found floating in Tampa Bay and it turns out he was fatally shot through the head and weighed down in the water with an anchor tied to a rope wrapped around his body. His official cause of death is listed as “undetermined”, but while law enforcement leans towards suicide, Pat’s loved ones notice some odd discrepancies to make them believe he was murdered. A family friend displays some suspicious behavior to suggest he might have knowledge of what happened, but there is not enough evidence to implicate him. Was Patrick Mullins the victim of foul play or was his death actually an elaborate suicide? For our first “Trail Went Cold” episode of 2024, we shall explore a controversial case which was featured on the Netflix reboot of “Unsolved Mysteries”.

If you have any information about the death of Patrick Mullins, please contact the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office at (941) 747-3011 or Manatee County Crimestoppers at (866) 634-TIPS (8477).

Additional Reading:

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Pat_Mullins

https://unsolved.com/gallery/body-in-the-bay/

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2013/09/01/in-boaters-death-a-river-keeps-its-secrets-close/64255908007/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/669317870/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/669317973/

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2013/09/25/pat-mullins-death-investigation-under-review/29201496007/

https://www.bradenton.com/living/article129187884.html

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/2018/feb/07/manatee-county-murder-patrick-mullins-reward/

https://www.mysuncoast.com/2020/01/14/cold-case-family-still-searching-answers-patrick-mullins-homicide/

https://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article267853552.html

“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.

The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Bonus Episode - New Year New Binge Jan 01, 2024

Show notes

The New Year’s holiday is a celebration of new beginnings. With that in mind, we know this collaboration will introduce you to several amazing new true-crime podcasts (including “The Trail Went Cold”) that will quickly become your newest true-crime binges as we enter 2024 because, let’s face it, we know that’s exactly what you needed! With tons of episodes each, investigative curiosity, and a focus on advocacy, these podcasts will live up to the theme of our collaboration (“New Year, New Binge”) because you’ll soon find yourself falling in love with the podcasters included in these episodes. So, sit back, grab your detective caps, and let’s get this party started!

Be sure to follow all of the podcasts you enjoyed so you never miss a new episode. Podcasts are listed below in the order in which you will be introduced to them:

Crimelines https://linktr.ee/crimelines

Sirens: A Southern True Crime Podcast https://bit.ly/TheSirensNetwork

Private Dicks Podcast https://linktr.ee/privatedicks

Morning Cup of Murder www.morningcupofmurder.com

Persons Unknown https://personsunknown.buzzsprout.com

Fresh Hell Podcast https://freshhellpodcast.com/

Stories With Sapphire www.storieswithsapphire.com

Travel and True Crime https://linktr.ee/twistedtraveltruecrimepodcast

Excuse Me, That’s Illegal www.linktr.ee/excusemethatsillegal.pod

A Nefarious Nightmare www.linktr.ee/anefariousnightmarepodcast

The Trail Went Cold https://www.trailwentcold.com

Coffee and Cases Podcast https://linktr.ee/coffeeandcases

Teachers Talk Crime https://linktr.ee/teacherstalkcrime

True Crime Creepers https://linktr.ee/TrueCrimeCreepers

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 359 - Update, Part 4 Dec 27, 2023

Show notes

Since “The Trail Went Cold” originally launched in February 2016, we have featured over 400 cold cases and unsolved mysteries on the podcast. A number of these cases have wound up either being solved or having major developments, so things have reached the point where we have been able to release four special “update” episodes over the past four years. On this particular episode, we’ll be discussing the surprising updates in such cases as the 1930 abduction of two-year old Mary Agnes Moroney, the 1987 murder of six-year old Jeremy Stoner, and how the investigation into the 1945 disappearance of Mary Jane Vangilder wound up leading to the unexpected identification of another decedent. These are just some of the cases we’ll be discussing in our fourth special “update” episode of “The Trail Went Cold”.

Here are the links to our three previous “update” episodes:

https://www.trailwentcold.com/2020/01/01/the-trail-went-cold-episode-155-update/

https://www.trailwentcold.com/2021/12/29/the-trail-went-cold-episode-257-update-part-2/

https://www.trailwentcold.com/2023/01/04/the-trail-went-cold-episode-310-update-part-3/

“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.

The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 358 - Amber Crum Dec 20, 2023

Show notes

December 26, 1983. Dallas, Texas. Two-year old Amber Crum is reported missing after James Britt Monroe, the live-in boyfriend of Amber’s mother, Stephanie Hughes, informs police that Amber was abducted from his parked pick-up truck while he was inside a grocery store. Weeks later, Britt is arrested on suspicion of murder after Stephanie implicates him in Amber’s death. However, when Stephanie testifies during a preliminary hearing, she recants her original story, so Britt is released from custody and a grand jury declines to indict him due to lack of evidence. In 2007, a convicted child murderer named David Elliott Penton is looked at as a person of interest in Amber’s disappearance, but there is no evidence to implicate him. Was Amber actually the victim of a stranger abduction? Or was someone close to her responsible for her disappearance? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a controversial missing children’s case which has gone without answers for 40 years. Special thanks to listener Jana Goetz for narrating the opening of this episode.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Dallas Police Department at (214) 670-4426.

Additional Reading:

https://charleyproject.org/case/amber-nicole-crum

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Amber_Crum

https://rcccmcc.com/2019/08/11/25-txf-amber-nicole-crum/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/612293968/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/635481365/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/636825769/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/362885757/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/635327431/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/636618595/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/635327584/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/636621155/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/638092936/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/638543496/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/590301319/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/589235846/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/591052589/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Elliott_Penton

“True Crime Web” Youtube Channel

“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.

The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 357 - Paul Logan and Tracey Mertens Dec 13, 2023

Show notes

December 23, 1993. Consett, England. 25-year old delivery driver Paul Logan brings a food order from a Chinese takeaway restaurant to a remote farm, but when he arrives, the property’s owners inform him that they never placed the order. When Paul attempts to leave, he is ambushed at the farm’s gate and bludgeoned to death with a blunt instrument. It becomes apparent that the takeaway order was a set-up to lure Paul to his death and that multiple people were involved. But even though rumours circulate that Paul was murdered by someone with a personal grudge against him, no one is ever charged with the crime.

December 23, 1994. Eaton, England. 31-year old Tracey Mertens is discovered on the steps of a local church with burns on 95 % of her body, so she is rushed to the hospital and passes away twelve hours later. Before her death, Tracey tells police that she was abducted from her former residence in Birmingham by two black men, who drove her to Eaton and set her on fire after pouring a can of petrol over her body. Suspicion mounts that Tracey was targeted because her spouse owed a drug debt to some dangerous people, but he denies any knowledge of what happened and Tracey’s killers are never identified.

On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we travel to the United Kingdom to cover a pair of unsolved murders which took place right before Christmas one year apart from each other.

Additional Reading:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-46658799

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/paul-logan-murder-twists-turns-22193511

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/paul-logan-murder-gossip-rumours-22195055

https://www.newspapers.com/image/802956098/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/906459675/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/804904234/

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/tracey-mertens-unsolved-christmas-murder-22500104

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/tracey-mertens-murder-anniversary-rochdale-17448505

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-50890878

https://www.newspapers.com/image/857381180/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/916300456/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/918042546/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/848432231/

“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.

The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 356 - Cathy Jo Bohlken Dec 06, 2023

Show notes

December 26, 1993. Monticello, Iowa. After she fails to show up for work, 22-year old Cathy Jo Bohlken is found dead inside the bedroom of her apartment. She has been bound with duct tape and has a plastic bag over her head and was sexually assaulted and stabbed at least 54 times. Two years later, Travis Jamieson, a friend of Cathy’s younger brother who was only 16 years old at the time of the crime, is charged with the murder. Even though DNA testing links Travis to a semen sample found in Cathy’s body, there is no other physical evidence against him. Since Travis’ defence attorneys bring up issues with the validity of the DNA testing at his trial, he winds up being acquitted and set free. Did Travis Jamieson get away with the murder of Cathy Jo Bohlken or was someone else actually responsible? We will attempt to answer that question, as we present this month’s first “Trail Went Cold” episode about cases which took place around Christmastime.

Additional Reading:

https://www.newspapers.com/image/130357265/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/132557294/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/128251280/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/548723441/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/548723448/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/549575322/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/549576162/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/550152813/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/549584314/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/130612305/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/550152837/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/130612316/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/549700889/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/550802115/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/550802223/

https://www.thegazette.com/crime-courts/monticello-man-arrested-in-stabbing-indicated-bar-patron-would-not-hurt-my-family-again/

“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.

The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 355 - Amy Wroe Bechtel Nov 29, 2023

Show notes

July 24, 1997. Fremont County, Wyoming. After spending the day running errands, 24-year old Amy Wroe Bechtel never returns home and her abandoned car is discovered on a remote road in Shoshone National Forest. Even though he claims to have an alibi, Amy’s husband, Steve Bechtel, is looked at as a potential suspect by law enforcement, due to his unwillingness to take a polygraph test. However, the investigation eventually focuses on convicted murderer Dale Wayne Eaton, who was supposedly in the area when Amy went missing, but there is no evidence to implicate him and no trace of Amy is ever found. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the puzzling disappearance of Amy Wroe Bechtel, who has continued to remain a missing person for the past 26 years. Special thanks to listener Kinza Carpenter for narrating the opening of this episode.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office at (307) 332-5611.

Additional Reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Amy_Wroe_Bechtel

http://charleyproject.org/case/amy-joy-wroe-bechtel

https://www.outsideonline.com/1829016/long-gone

http://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/long-gone-girl

http://people.com/archive/into-thin-air-vol-49-no-11/

https://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/sheriff-believes-amy-wroe-bechtel-was-victim-of-killer/article_5c2b29d9-de5f-54b9-b0cb-a93aff383668.html

https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/amy-wroe-bechtel-case-timeline/article_f289eca2-a639-5a75-a565-814f41b5249c.html

https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/officials-killer-said-to-camp-where-wroe-bechtel-vanished-in-wyoming/article_5048323d-d60c-5e4f-ba60-e3536f0701b1.html

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Amy_Wroe_Bechtel

“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.

The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

The Trail Went Cold - Episode 354 - Danielle LaRue Nov 22, 2023

Show notes

December 31, 2002. Vancouver, British Columbia. The Vancouver Police Department receive an anonymous letter containing a remorseful confession from someone who claims to have been responsible for the death of a sex worker. While the victim’s name is not mentioned, investigators eventually suspect that she might be 24-year old Danielle LaRue, a sex worker from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside neighbourhood who seemed to vanish without explanation one month before the letter arrived. Even though the police ask the letter writer to come forward, this individual is not heard from again and no trace of Danielle is ever found. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we share the story of Danielle LaRue, an Indigenous woman who lived an incredibly tragic life before she went missing. We will also explore the stories of Ashley Machiskinic and Verna Simard, two other Indigenous women from the Downtown Eastside, who both died suspicious deaths after falling from a window at the Regent Hotel.

If you have information about any of the featured cases, please contact the Vancouver Police Department’s Cold Case Unit at (604) 717-2500.

Additional Reading:

https://www.cbc.ca/missingandmurdered/mmiw/profiles/danielle-larue

https://www.vpdcoldcases.ca/danielle-larue/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/496693347/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/497036908/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/497458017/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/497458058/

https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2018/12/09/danielle-larue-vancouver-police-appeal-killer-16-year-old-cold-case/

https://globalnews.ca/news/1535797/bc-crimestoppers-the-case-of-murder-victim-danielle-larue/

https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/ashley-machiskinic-vancouver-death-1.3653676

https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/angela-sterritt-ashley-machiskinic-mmiw-1.3896560